Stormy weather on the way for North Island

Name: WeatherWatch: (Sept 09) Spring front coming
Uploaded: 2015-09-09T12:01:16+12:00
Duration: 169 s
Description: Weatherwatch weather analyst Philip Duncan gives a update on what to expect for the next few days.

NZME.

9 Sep, 2015 09:54 PM3 mins to read

Weatherwatch weather analyst Philip Duncan gives a update on what to expect for the next few days.

A burst of heavy rain expected to sweep the country will bring a wet day for most centres today.

Meteorologists are warning people in the North Island to keep an eye on the heavy rain as it moves down the country, with the possibility of thunderstorms and isolated surface flooding in areas.

Another front moving north from Westland will also see rain on the radar for much of the South Island.

Metservice meteorologist Angus Hines said torrential rain in the northern band had already hit parts of the Far North.

The wet weather is making a beeline east and would brush Auckland in the early afternoon, but it was hard to tell where the heaviest falls would hit.

Strong winds would follow the rain - with gusts possibly staying around until the weekend, Mr Hines said.

"It seems like it's going to vary quite a lot from place to place, we're still thinking there could be some isolated heavy falls which could get up to 20mm an hour, but that'll be the heaviest stuff.

"It's going to bring quite a strong wind change actually. As the heaviest rain passes over, the wind flicks to southwest and could become quite strong. Towards the weekend they're easing."

Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty were in for some of the heavy rain later this afternoon and evening, he said.

MetService has issued a watch for heavy rain in Northland, Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and Rotorua today.

There was also a chance of thunderstorms in Northland.

The rough weather should ease before Sunday as a ridge starts to build over the country, bringing more settled weather for most, he said.

"It'll certainly be calmer but there'll probably be some cloud and showers about," Mr Hines said.

An active front is also expected to move north in the South Island from Westland towards Nelson today, prompting another watch for heavy rain and strong southerlies in those areas.

Temperatures will dip with the front - with Invercargill only expected to hit 10C today - but the North Island temperatures should remain fairly steady.

WeatherWatch head analyst Phil Duncan said it was a "somewhat explosive" sub-tropical weather pattern.

The bulk of today's heavy rain should fall out at sea but would "brush" Auckland, Northland and the Coromandel Peninsula, and gusty southwesterlies developing overnight might see gales in small pockets, he said.

There was a low to moderate risk of localised flooding north of Orewa and Warkworth.

"The front is very narrow, so those not in the firing line should have normal weather," Mr Duncan said.